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Rodney McMillian — Double Double Jesus
Rodney McMillian

Double Double Jesus

2006

Double Double Jesus presents a worn domestic blanket as both material fact and charged symbolic vessel, situating Rodney McMillian's practice at the intersection of vernacular object and cultural critique. Measuring an expansive 167.6 by 236.2 centimeters, the work transforms an everyday textile into a site of inquiry around race, faith, spirituality, and the lived experience of Black American domestic life. The repetition embedded in the title amplifies a sense of doubling and mirroring, suggesting layered identity, the multiplicity of belief systems, and the complex ways religious iconography has functioned within African American communities as both a source of solace and a tool of social conditioning. McMillian's choice of the blanket as medium carries considerable weight within his broader body of work, where discarded and humble materials serve as repositories of collective memory and embodied history. Rather than aestheticizing poverty or spectacularizing struggle, the artist allows the object to speak through its own physical reality, its texture, wear, and inherent associations with comfort, vulnerability, and shelter. Signed by the artist, this 2006 work reflects a pivotal period in McMillian's career, when his material investigations were earning sustained critical attention and institutional recognition, including through his relationship with The Studio Museum in Harlem. For collectors drawn to conceptually rigorous work that engages American social history without didacticism, Double Double Jesus represents a compelling and rare opportunity to acquire a piece that rewards long contemplation and resists easy resolution.

Medium
Blanket
Overall
Signed
Yes

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About this work

Rodney McMillian, Double Double Jesus, 2006

Double Double Jesus presents a worn domestic blanket as both material fact and charged symbolic vessel, situating Rodney McMillian's practice at the intersection of vernacular object and cultural critique. Measuring an expansive 167.6 by 236.2 centimeters, the work transforms an everyday textile into a site of inquiry around race, faith, spirituality, and the lived experience of Black American domestic life. The repetition embedded in the title amplifies a sense of doubling and mirroring, suggesting layered identity, the multiplicity of belief systems, and the complex ways religious iconography has functioned within African American communities as both a source of solace and a tool of social conditioning. McMillian's choice of the blanket as medium carries considerable weight within his broader body of work, where discarded and humble materials serve as repositories of collective memory and embodied history. Rather than aestheticizing poverty or spectacularizing struggle, the artist allows the object to speak through its own physical reality, its texture, wear, and inherent associations with comfort, vulnerability, and shelter. Signed by the artist, this 2006 work reflects a pivotal period in McMillian's career, when his material investigations were earning sustained critical attention and institutional recognition, including through his relationship with The Studio Museum in Harlem. For collectors drawn to conceptually rigorous work that engages American social history without didacticism, Double Double Jesus represents a compelling and rare opportunity to acquire a piece that rewards long contemplation and resists easy resolution.

Medium
Blanket
Dimensions
overall: 167.6 x 236.2 cm
Year
2006
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
The Studio Museum in Harlem

Related themes

Mohn Art Collective

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